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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Thanks, Greg...for the reminder. Some of us don't need it, but it still is good to know those days are speeding by.

I put everything I had (and a lot of what I didn't have) into my piece, and my body protested in response. I never, in my wildest dreams (when I was a kid) thought that I would ever be able to play it (it has always been my favorite). Now, thanks to the DtC thread, I can. If my arms could reach that far, I would give myself a pat on the back.

Does it sound like it should? No. Will it ever sound like it should? No. Do I care? Yes and No.

We should always reach for the stars but be pleased with a handful of moondust if that's all we are capable of attainting.

Bruce...We started this All Chopin Prelude Concert way back (about 7 months ago) on this thread. We chose the date of October 17 for a completion date as a commemeration of Chopin's death. We all hope to record our preludes, then upload them, then hope people on the ABF will download then. I believe it will be the first of its kind (pretty much like the recital thread, but different because it is devoted to just one composer's music). We wanted to keep it a big secret but that didn't work out.

Please do sign up as a "back-up" for the 7th. I think we have a couple of back-up's now, but that's OK. We decided not to post duplicates as it would take too long and we don't want to turn this into a "competition" of sorts. Please do learn the 7th. It's considered one of Chopin's greatest pieces...forever changing under the hands of the greatest artists who hear something different each time they play it.

Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Kathleen

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After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed, and mourning over tragedies that were not my own." Oscar Wilde, 1891

Kathleen, thanks for filling us in on the lead up to this. Good idea to have only one person playing each prelude. In the unlikely event that Bassio (No 7) falls over, your two existing backups should be plenty. It turns out that I am learning one of the easier ones -- and I was thinking I was brilliant

One think puzzles me though: there are 24 Opus 28 Preludes, so where do No 25 and No 26 come from?

Originally posted by LisztAddict: The two scariest pieces are no 12 and no 16. I am wondering how playadom and jazzyprof are coming along with those 2 pieces. [/b]

They are scary indeed and I'm quite scared since I can only play the no.16 at a leisurely 80 bpm fairly accurately. I don't know if I can get to 120 bpm in two months. If I don't I'm sure LisztAddict will be kind enough to bail me out!

I'm heartened that other people are having some thorny times with their preludes—most assuredly not in the manner of schadenfreude, but because I am also.

While my initial reaction to No. 26 was that it's not as hard as I thought it might be—and while some preludes are certainly more difficult—it's still hard. I'll be able to play it, and possibly manage some leggierezza, too, but I don't expect it to be presto. (I'm not foreclosing that possibility, I just don't expect it!)

Also, I don't believe Ragnhild will be contributing No. 6. In the interest of completeness, it would be great if another participant could volunteer to be on standby with that entry.

Steven

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"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."—Albert Schweitzer

We are looking for someone to play #6. It is considered one of the simplier preludes (ha). It can be learned and played quite well (with adequate practice and determination) in 2 months.

Any takers? It is a lovely piece, and I know you will be happy you "volunteered."

Regards to all and remember not to fret too much (easy to say, I know). We are not professionals, but true devotees of Chopin. Many of us have put in hours, weeks and months in learning to play our piece. If we put our heart into it, I KNOW each one will be PERFECT.

Trust me!

Kathleen

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After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed, and mourning over tragedies that were not my own." Oscar Wilde, 1891

Well, someone has to play it, so Kathleen and LisztAddict can decide amongst themselves - unless Ragnhild shows some signs of activity...

I am falling in love with the tonalities of #8. What an awesome piece - it will be very hard to do it justice. 1:45 seems like a good target - many real pianists play it at 1:30 but it sounds like mush that way. Stahlbrand plays it beautifully at 2:08, which is a tad slow.

_________________________http://www.ecital.netWikicital: A collaborative effort to build a knowledgebase of classical music history combined with examples. Your chance to both perform and write...

Originally posted by jazzyprof: By the way neither Op30no3 nor Thalamus has been seen here for months. Op30no3 did sign up for five of the preludes. Does anyone know if they still intend to perform? [/b]

Crikey - that's a worry! What shall we do? Have holes in the recital? Beg for people to fill in at the last moment? Postpone until 1st March (next anniversary)? Or shall we just hope that Op3no3 and Thalamus don't let Chopin down?

Originally posted by gerg: I am falling in love with the tonalities of #8. What an awesome piece - it will be very hard to do it justice. 1:45 seems like a good target - many real pianists play it at 1:30 but it sounds like mush that way. Stahlbrand plays it beautifully at 2:08, which is a tad slow. [/b]

gerg, I am full of admiration that you can play number 8. I tried and failed once. Listening to the several performances I have on CD, I think about 2 minutes is the ideal time - otherwise you can't be sufficiently expressive.

I've been lurking along with this thread - and would volunteer for number 6 -- surely 2 months will give me time to get a good recording. I do have it learned and this will be a great polishing motivator.